Frequently ASKED QUESTIONS

So what's next?

The feature film. We're several drafts into the script, and have plenty of ideas for various directions to go with the world.

Who did the VFX and post work?

The heavy VFX, all of the major CG and cleanup work, etc. were done by FX3X Studios, our partner out of Macedonia, and producers on the movie. Check 'em out, they are AMAZING! FX3X.com. Packages used include Maya, Vray, 3dsmax, Nuke, and After Effects. Editing in Final Cut, Color in Davinci, Online in Premiere.

Rajeev and Elan created most of the Previz and some of the VFX in certain sequences.

Technicolor did some additional work on the Hong Kong sequence.

Where was it shot and how long did it take to shoot?

5 days in Jordan, specifically2 days in a city called Salt, and 3 days in WADI RUM, a huge desert known for 'Star Trek Discovery' (the Dassani brothers produced the Jordan portion of that), 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Rogue One', and 'The Martian'. Jordan has also stood in for various countries in 'Fair Game', 'The Hurt Locker', and 'Zero Dark Thirty'

A half day in Hong Kong (because Elan Dassani happened to be there for a 'Covert Affairs' shoot anyway...)

A day in Los Angeles (for the tower, dropship, and news anchors stage work).

HOW DID YOU GET A HELICOPTER FOR THE AERIALS?

The aerials were not shot with a helicopter! We used an Ultralight glider handholding a Red Scarlet with a Canon 16mm wide angle lens. Some of the aerials were also shot with drones of various types. This video should help explain it:

What EQUIPMENT did you shoot With?

Mostly on Red Epic's using Angenieux Zooms and Canon ES Lenses. Various shots throughout the film were taken with GoPros (Phantom drone work), a Panasonic GH4 (the bigger drone), and Blackmagic Cameras (crane shots and some random shots here and there). Easyrig and handheld, no steadicam, no dolly, no cranes (except for a portable one called a Polecam)

How much did it cost?

Bottom line, we tried to be efficient and maximize the production value we got out of every dollar through a variety of techniques.

For example, the film is all day exterior to minimize lighting setups, and we efficiently maximized production value through location shooting, no set builds, etc. Generally we prefer to travel to an amazing location rather than build it.

See some of our other international shooting producing experience to get a sense of how we do what we do: www.masterkeyfilms.com

In a nutshell, we tried to understand our limitations whenever possible, and work within our constraints.